Presented at the 5th Annual SMi Close Air Support Conference London - 5 June 2019

1. 5th Annual SMi
Close Air Support
Conference
London - 5 June 2019
The Human
Dimension
Andy Fawkes
Popham Panel

2. Presentation
Overview
• Lessons Learnt?
• Simulation Overview
• Current Training Systems
• Future Training Systems
• Thinking about Recruits
• The Future?

3. Lessons Learnt?

4. Georg Wilhelm Friedrich
Hegel (1770-1831)
(Born Stuttgart)
“we learn from
history that we
do not learn
from history”
Wikipedia

5. Historic Lessons Learned?

6. Historic Lessons Learned?
?

8. Battlefield
Air
Close Air Support
Air Superiority
Interdiction
The Role of
Battlefield
Air?

9. Some Insights
• Importance of Centralised Control of Air Assets – to See the
Bigger Picture
– But effective organisational structure, processes and culture required,
which is often forgotten after the conflict
• In Vietnam, the Joint Task Force Commander, with air and
ground commanders, would decide each day what proportion of
the available air assets would be deployed to close support,
interdiction, and to air superiority
• Communication Interoperability
– Luftwaffe radios operated on different frequencies from those of the
German army. German Fighters had voice radios but Luftwaffe bombers
relied on code transmissions
• The essence of the forward air controller lay in their ability to
meld the point of view of the ground troops with a sure
knowledge of the capabilities and limitations of airplanes
– In WW2, Pilots acted as FACs

10. • Reviewed 100 years of UK ALI Operations
• “UK air and land forces have continually
struggled to prepare for joint operations
before conflict.”
• “history suggests that air and land’s
consolidated gains from prolonged
conflict often become lost skills in the
period afterwards; this is particularly true
when resources are tight and each
service is fighting to retain and sustain its
individual capabilities.”
UK Joint Services Command and Staff College
Defence Research Paper 2013
Delivering effective Air-Land Integration (ALI) in the Next War

11. 3 Pillars of
Effective ALI
Common
Understanding
Shared doctrine,
education & recent,
relevant experience
Effective Air-Land Integration
Coordination
Joint planning
Benefits from
colocation
Reinforced by
effective C2
Capability
Appropriate
equipment
Trained personnel
Effective tactics,
techniques &
procedures

12. 2000s - UK
• Iraq 2003 – Weak links between the operational and tactical levels
– ‘the number of Air C2 trained augmentees that we need to make our
headquarters work in operational environments is very significant. We do
not currently have enough’
• Commander of British Forces in Iraq, Air Chief Marshal Sir Brian Burridge
• 2003 - Project Coningham-Keyes (PC-K) was set up to develop air
integration from a tri-service perspective
• 2003 - Joint Air Land Organisation (JALO) established to
coordinate training, to disseminate lessons and to address the
shortfalls in technical capability, interoperability and C2
• UK Joint Forward Air Control Training and Standards Unit
(JFACTSU) at RAF Leeming ran more courses with both RAF and
Army units
• HERRICK Urgent Operational Requirements (UORs) delivered
equipment improvements such as advanced targeting pods,
datalinks and the FIRESTORM FAC system

13. The A-10 Debate - 2017
• Given the importance of CAS to joint operations,
future CAS requirements should be carefully
reexamined
• This reexamination should be similar to the
process the Army and Air Force undertook in the
late 1960s in which the Army took on a
significant role in defining key capabilities
• The assessment should address the needs of the
affected services and their visions for future CAS
directly
• The analysis should compare near-, mid-, and
far-term CAS alternatives to the A-10, including
fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, both manned and
unmanned, and also consider potential
nonaircraft alternatives, such as ground-
launched and loitering precision munitions

14. Simulation Overview

15. • Humans Inside or Outside
• Runs in Real or Non-Real Time
• Some Systems have Order
• Some Systems are Chaotic
• Some are Random
What is Simulation?

16. SimulatedReal
Live
Virtual Constructive
Simulated
People
Equipment
SimulatedReal
Simulation
Categories
(LVC)

17. Why Use Simulation in Training?
Current Training Systems

18. Simulation Now - Land, Sea, Air, Anywhere

19. US Army STE (Synthetic Training Environment)
One World Simulation, AI-Driven Entities

20. Live & Simulation Based Training
Training Type
X Y Z
Trend
Simulation
Live

21. SISO/US Army – ENGTAM Group
(Exploration of Next Generation Technology Applications to Modeling and Simulation)
• Gaming Technology
– The games-derivative simulation software is already used in many areas of
training and is extending into the image generator and mission rehearsal
spaces.
• Virtual Reality
– VR may find its way into a number of new applications in the military training
space where immersion and physical space are significant or limiting factors.
• Augmented Reality
– AR may become increasingly more prevalent in training as the technology
becomes more robust and most probably making its way into the operational
space too.
• Cloud and Streaming
– Future simulation and other training and education services may be streamed
across the enterprise over a private secure cloud and network.
• Wearables/IoT
– In the military domain it will be possible to monitor and interact with all
military people and equipment with value in both training and operations.
• Big Data and Data Analytics
– The ability to monitor, record and learn from training data will be enhanced.
• Artificial Intelligence
– AI will impact on operations but also training through improved AI in
simulations and intelligent tutoring.

22. Current Training Systems

23. Training Requirements – Initial and Continuation

24. Distributed Synthetic Air Land Training (DSALT) - 2011

25. Distributed Synthetic Air Land Training (DSALT) - 2011

26. Elektroniksystem- und Logistik-GmbH (ESG)
Joint Fires Training – 2018

27. UK Immersive Close Air Support Simulator (iCASS)
• JFACTSU, RAF
Leeming
• Only NATO and US
Joint Services
accredited UK facility,
training approx 100
FACs/JTACs per year
• 3M Dome, full AAR
Images - MetaVR

28. USAF Joint Terminal Control Training & Rehearsal System (JTC TRS)
• 32 Systems to be installed
• Partial dome simulator
• Accredited to replace live fly
CAS aircraft for:
– type 1, 2, and 3 controls, day and
night missions, controls requiring a
ground-based laser target
designator for terminal guidance
operations/marking, utilizing an IR
pointer for night target marking,
video downlink for enhanced target
description, and surface to surface
and air to surface fires
integration/deconfliction
Images - MetaVR

29. Advanced Joint Terminal Attack Controller Training System
(AAJTS / AJTS) Dome Simulators
• Installed across US & Europe
• 5-meter, 270 degree FOV
training dome system
• US Accredited for types 1, 2,
3 controls for both day and
night, and for laser target
designation with a simulated
military laser device and
meets or exceeds current
NATO STANAG standards
Images - MetaVR

30. UK Joint Fires Mobile Trainer (JFMT) – 2019
Procured for 1st Artillery Brigade

31. Future Training Systems

32. UK Joint Fires Synthetic Trainer (JFST)
• Army’s Single Statement of User Need (SSUN) which Joint Fires Synthetic
Trainer (JFST) will deliver against is:
– ‘The user requires an intuitive, accessible and immersive training capability to assist in
the delivery of Joint Fires training for contemporary operations at Individual and
Collective levels, in both the mounted and dismounted roles.’
• JFST seeks to improve the training capability delivered to the Army
– It will replace existing training capabilities currently provided by Distributed Synthetic
Air Land Training 2 (DSALT2) and the immersive Close Air Support Simulator (iCASS) at
Joint Forward Air Controller Training and Standards Unit (JFACTSU), as well as other
obsolete and unsupported capabilities.
• JFST will provide an immersive Joint Fires (JF) training capability, able to train
JF integrators in both mounted and dismounted roles, across Land, Littoral and
Air domains and at individual and collective levels.
• The simulated training environment will enable realistic and complex training
that cannot be conducted live on the UK training estate, thus maintaining
operational effectiveness.
• TSSP Project Team
DE&S Contract notice Battle simulators 2017/S 220-458237 – 16 Nov 2017

33. UK Defence Operational Training Capability (Air)
• The DOTC(A) Programme (Pg) will establish a series of networked synthetic
mission training facilities (a system of systems) to fill the long-standing gaps in
Air Force Elements (FE) Team and Collective postgraduate mission training.
• FE simulators at Main Operating Bases (MOBs) will connect to a Core Systems
& Services (CS&S) located at RAF Waddington.
• The CS&S will provide Team and Collective training that can be tailored to the
prevailing Operational environment and the Training Objectives (TOs) of the FE.
• Initial capabilities
– Integration with Typhoon, Sentry E-3D Rear Crew Training system, Joint Fires Synthetic
Trainer (JFST) and the UK F-35B Lightning mission simulators
• Subsequent capabilities
– Focus on remaining Air force elements, and other Land/Maritime synthetic capabilities
once their requirements and associated benefits have been articulated, to meet Jt
collective training requirements
• Later capabilities
– Distributed links to NATO, other coalition partners and potentially component level
organisations.
• FSAST Project Team
DOTC(Air) Rejoiners Job Specification - FOC-T-006 - 2018

34. UK Air Support to Defence Operational Training (ASDOT)
• Announced June 2016; Cancelled March 2019
• A proposed programme whereby training in defence for aircrew in
the armed forces of the United Kingdom would be devolved to a
civilian contractor, including:
– Air to air combat training
– Air to surface training
– Joint terminal attack controller / forward air controller training (JTAC/FAC)
– Electronic Warfare (EW)
– Air Traffic Control (ATC)
– Aerospace Battle Management (ABM)
– Ground Based Air Defence (GBAD)
– Live Gunnery
• MFTS Project Team
Wikipedia

35. Additional Realities
The real
world
Reality
Augmented
Reality
Mixed
Reality
Virtual
Reality
Information
layered over
vision
Blend of real &
digital information
to enhance reality
Fully virtual
world

36. Mixed Reality Visual System (MRVS)
36BISim

37. Augmented Reality – 2008
• US Pilot in US-Based Flight Simulator
• Transatlantic Connection
• UK Soldier on Salisbury Plain with
Augmented Reality Sight
• Virtual Bombs landing on Real Terrain
MOD Westdown Camp
US Site
US Secret Enclave
UK Secret Enclave
JTEN
JSAF
JSAF
UK Restricted Enclave
AWES User
Terminal
AWES
Server
Salisbury
Plain (Live)
‘Synthetic
Wrap’
Gateway
FAC
AR
Data
Voice
Comms
‘Air Gap’
Operator
Pilot
Source: JTEN use case latest Final(1) - SISO Discussion Forums (Internet)

38. Close Air Solutions (UK)
Real + Virtual - Hyper Real Immersion – 2018

39. UK Virtual Reality in Land Training (VRLT) Pilot - 2019
• “The aim of the VRLT pilot is to
identify the opportunities that
Virtual Reality technology offers
the UK Army Future Collective
Training System”
• Up to 37 Trainees in VR + MR
• Mounted/Dismounted/Indirect Fire

41. VRLT Pilot Insights
• Deployability
• to point of need and low physical footprint with COTS Software & Hardware
• Flexibility
• to inject complexity and switch between configurations and scenarios and support
individual and collective training
• Scale and Time
• with ~40 users and ~100 deemed readily achievable for around 1 hour
• Combined arms teamworking
• with dismounts alongside vehicles and other combined arms capabilities
• Communication and coordination skills
• under pressure created through an immersive environment
• Decision making and judgements
• in a high-intensity ‘safe to fail’ immersive 3D environment
• Integration
• of federated simulations and training measurement and evaluation techniques
• Wider utility
• through pre-briefing, rehearsal of concepts, briefing the plan, in-action review and
after-action review

42. In Virtual
Simulation you
look at the
Virtual World, in
VR you are in it

43. Maintaining Proficiency
drillster.com

44. Maintaining Proficiency
drillster.com

45. Thinking about Recruits

46. FAC/JTAC of the Future?
• Who will they be?
• What will they do?
• Where will they be?
• How will they train?
• Will we need them?

47. UK Military Age Distribution - 2019
47% ≤ 29 years old
and
82% ≤ 39
UK Defence Personnel Statistics - CBP7930, 12 June 2018

48. “Digital Native”
generally considered a person
born in the 1980s and after
growing up in the digital age with
day to day access to computers,
games, Internet, etc.
Broadly, 2/3rds of the Military are now
Digital Natives and 90% by 2030
Oxford Dictionary – Flikr/cwasteson

49. What’s Next?
Digital Native
Pixabay/YouTube
Digital Native AI Native?

50. UK Children aged 12 to
15 spend 12.2 hours a
week gaming in 2017
and 11 to 64 year-olds
8.9 hours
UKIE

51. “teenagers playing on
their Xbox at home should
take their gaming to the
next level and join the
RAF to operate real
drones”
Air Chief Marshal
Sir Stephen Hillier
Jan 18

52. Realism…

53. Speak to the Young

54. The Future?

57. Will Geographically Distributed Networked HQ - Pilot -
CAS/JTAC Training be Routine?
A C
DF
E
B

58. S-400 S-500?
Potential Peer+ Threat Environment

59. Dedicated Air/Maritime-Land Battlelabs?
• Analyse changes in the military
realm, such as technology and
threats, bringing together
operational end-users for the
development of operational
concepts and procedures and/or
operator training
• Capture historic lessons learnt
and derive insights for the future,
strategic through to tactical
Wikipedia

60. Air/Maritime-Land Integration - An Enterprise Effort!

61. Questions?
62
1911 – US Army Lt. Myron S. Crissy drops a bomb from aWright Brothers airplane flown by
Philip O. Parmalee, the first-ever deployment of a live bomb from an airplane